Technology

Why retailers must bridge digital, human engagement to meet customer expectations

Creating these personalized, seamless experiences across every channel is particularly important as today’s shoppers have more choices than ever.

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April 18, 2023 | Seb Reeve, Director, Intelligent Engagement Business Development at Nuance Communications

It's no secret consumers continue to rely on AI-powered virtual assistants every day for a broadening range of capabilities, from controlling the lights, temperature, and shades in the family room to appointment reminders and checking bank balances. And — increasingly — consumers are depending on virtual assistants for shopping. In fact, research reveals that virtual assistants will support more than $19 billion in e-commerce transactions by 2023.

Increasing pressure on retailers to innovate

This is part of the digital transformation that the pandemic accelerated: 75% of recently-surveyed U.S. CEOs said that progress toward creating seamless digital customer experiences has accelerated by months or years and that it represents a key opportunity moving into the future. Conversational AI for voice assistants and chatbots, for example, can create the automated, personalized experiences customers expect while augmenting employee effectiveness so that they can work faster and smarter.

Creating these personalized, seamless experiences across every channel is particularly important as today's shoppers have more choices than ever. McKinsey wrote recently that 75% of U.S. consumers have tried a new shopping behavior in response to the pandemic. Moreover, this is just one of many challenges putting increased pressure on retailers around the world.

Leading with an innovative, AI-powered approach can create engaging, conversational experiences that increase revenue, improve operational performance metrics, and support employee efficiency and productivity. And better yet, consumers love self-service experiences that save them time by connecting them quickly with the answers they need.

Keep a human in the loop

Still, not every consumer's need can be met via an automated experience; there will always be scenarios in which the virtual assistant can't help, whether that's because the customer has engaged in the wrong channel, or the solution hasn't been "trained" on a given issue. Even the best chatbots — those that correctly understand customer intent and accurately answer questions — need a human agent at the ready to tackle more complex requests.

For example, if a customer engages with a retailer's live chat about a delayed order, the AI-powered solution should quickly connect the consumer with order-specific tracking information. If the order has been lost in transit, however, human intervention may be necessary, and the virtual assistant should recognize that it's time to escalate the issue.

At that point, the virtual assistant should seamlessly engage a live human agent (with the customer's permission!), who can take over in real time and without the customer repeating information they've already provided.

At the end of the day, it's about using AI to automate as much of these interactions as possible while seamlessly bridging digital and human engagement.